Before I Sleep
by The Florentine Nightingale
Summary: The woods are lovely dark and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep. -Robert Frost The Reaper War left so much death and destruction in its wake that it seemed the galaxy would never recover. Eight years later life has almost gone back to normal. But some things will never be the same no matter how hard you try to fix them.


**A/N: First ever Mass Effect story EVER. Not going to lie, I'm a little nervous. Anyways enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect**

**Chapter 1:**

Riley Williams startled awake to a loud banging noise coming from outside his door. He bolted upright and glanced at his nightstand thinking about the pistol he kept there for protection, and just as he was about to grab it another loud bang startled him.

"Wake up Riley, we have to go." His mother called, before he heard her shuffle down the hall way to the door next to his before the banging resumed.

He sighed and flopped back in bed, pressing his hands to his face as he tried to summon the energy for a new day. After another few minutes of wallowing Riley grudgingly pulled himself out of bed before retrieving a fresh set of clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. By the time he made it to the kitchen both his mother and younger sister were waiting for him.

"Nice of you to join us, sleeping beauty." His mother commented idly, raising a brow at him over her steaming mug of whatever noxious substance she drank every morning.

He didn't comment, only nodded in acknowledgement, trying to keep the grimace off his face as he eyed her mug. He remembered tasting it once when he was younger. It had been spicy and bitter and had made him feel as if he had swallowed liquid fire, he had promptly spent the rest of the day throwing it back up. She followed his gaze and let a ghost of a smile flicker across her face when she realized what had caused his sour expression. She raised her drink to him as he sat next to his sister.

"Cheers." She said mockingly taking another long drink, making Riley cringe.

He pulled his plate of rehydrated eggs towards himself before digging into them with gusto, unlike Terra who continued to poke at the yellow lumps on her plate.

"Eat Terra," their mother said exasperated. "We have to leave soon."

Riley glanced out the window and increased his own eating speed as he saw the dark sky lightening signaling the sun rise. The blonde girl groaned and put one egg in her mouth before chewing slowly a pout fixed on her face. But his mother was no longer watching them. She downed the rest of her morning concoction before pressing her hand to the window and humming in contemplation before placing the mug in the sink and leaving the kitchen.

"When I get back both of you have better be finished eating. I mean it Terra. Eat." She called over her shoulder as she disappeared from the room.

Terra huffed and gave Riley a pleading look. He shrugged and continued to eat his own breakfast not missing the younger girl's growl of annoyance as she gave another egg a vicious stab. Despite her protests Terra had managed to choke down her entire breakfast by the time their mother returned two jackets slung over her arm.

"Alright let's move people." She commanded and the two children immediately got to their feet.

Riley shrugged into his oversized coat while his mother helped Terra into hers and ushered them to the door. Both children grabbed their school bags and stepped out into the chilly predawn air their mother close behind. Riley watched his mother take a deep breath and zip her coat all the way to her chin and pull the hood over her head.

"Come on." She said after a moment before they began the long trek through the woods.

Hannah Williams led the two children down the makeshift path they had made to the nearest town. Riley and his mother both knew she didn't need to lead them through the woods, the path was clear and there weren't nearly enough trees still standing after the war to impede them but she directed them just the same, maybe to give them comfort, reminding them that they weren't alone.

It had been almost eight years since the reapers had been destroyed, eight long years of construction, repair, and death. No one had been naïve enough to believe they would get out of the war unscathed but they could never have truly predicted exactly how much damage would be done. With the mass relays destroyed thousands of aliens had been left stranded in the orbit around the Earth, and the strange red blast that had stopped the reapers had also caused most of the technology to fail. The war had ended but thousands more died during the first few years of recovery as the galaxy scrambled to pick itself back up again. But the races of this cycle were nothing if not resilient. Against all odds they managed to repair most of the damage done and Earth itself was almost, if not completely, how it had been before the first reaper attack. Other than the anniversary that was celebrated galaxy wide every year the war had almost been completely ignored, not forgotten never forgotten, by the survivors. The only outward proof of the devastating destruction the war had left was found in the country sides where large chunks of destroyed starships were left and where trees still refused to grow. Riley had only been six when the reapers had invaded and before than his few memories were of a small house out in the countryside, not so different from the farm house that he, his mother, and sister lived in now.

While most people lived near city centers in prefab homes or the rebuilt and renovated buildings from before the war Hannah had instead chosen a rundown farm house in the middle of nowhere, taking the time to make it livable for her and her children. The house was sturdy and Hannah had built a generator and managed to create a water heater from the electronic scrap she was prone to collecting. Overall it was a comfortable enough existence if not a slightly lonely one. No matter how much her children begged and pleaded Hannah would not move to any city. She even refused to move closer to the small town where both Riley and Terra went to school. There was never a reason given to her aversion of other people but Riley and Terra had both learned that if Hannah Williams didn't want to explain something to you, you wouldn't know until she was ready to share.

"This is as far as I go." Hannah said stopping short just outside the fence that surrounded the small group of stores lining the main street of the town.

Terra threw her arms around Hannah's waist and hugged her tightly. The woman patted the small girls back awkwardly before turning to Riley with a nod and a half smile. He smiled back at her before grabbing the six year olds hand and pulling her away from their mother.

"See you after school." She called as the two children climbed through a hole in the fence.

"Bye mommy!" Terra called. "I love you!"

"Bye," Riley waved.

"Come straight home, both of you!" She ordered to their retreating backs. "I mean it. Straight home! I'm talking to you Terra!"

Terra giggled and Riley shook his head as he tugged his little sister along towards the school.

-Page Break-

"Councilor?" the asari called to the man sitting at his desk.

"Yes, Reyna what is it?" he responded fingers still massaging his temples trying in vain to stop the migraine he knew was on its way.

Reyna stepped forward holding out a paper for him to take. He glanced up before sighing and taking the paper from her and scanning it.

"What is this?" he asked after a moment brow furrowing.

"It's about the anniversary of the war sir," she explained. "It's supposed to be held on Earth this year and…"

The man raised a hand to silence her before returning his fingers to his temples. She shifted, unsure of what to do with herself.

"Reyna, the anniversary isn't for another four months." He mumbled.

"I realize that sir," the asari piped in. "But the other councilors wanted to give you the list ahead of time. We all remember the disaster last year's anniversary was."

He sighed. He did remember. Begrudgingly he picked up the paper again giving it another once over.

"Alright Reyna, thank you." He said setting the paper down again, his eyes drawn to one of the pictures on his desk.

He stared at it for a long moment his gaze becoming distant and his lips parting almost as if he was reliving the moment in the photo. Reyna shifted again before stepping forward.

"Councilor Alenko?" she asked quietly.

His dark eyes snapped up to her, regaining his focus at the sound of her voice. He straightened himself in his chair before giving his assistant a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine Reyna, thank you again. You may go now." Kaidan said.

"O-of course sir." She said flustered by his warm smile, she turned to leave but stopped at the sound of his voice.

"Oh and Reyna?" he called.

"Yes sir?" she asked timidly.

"Could you please hit the lights on the way out?" he asked. "And I mean to turn them off, not actually hit them." He clarified after a moment.

"Yes sir," she said looking away in embarrassment as she recalled the first time she had heard the human idiom.

Kaidan chuckled warmly watching as the blue woman turned to leave making sure to flick the lights off before she exited the room. He stood from his desk when he was sure she was gone and stretched letting out a long yawn. The years had been kind to Kaidan, he was the same handsome man he had been before, albeit with a little more gray in his hair. The fact that he had the ability to make his beautiful secretary blush with a smile never failed to boost his ego. He chuckled again at the thought unconsciously fiddling with the gold band on his left hand. His eyes fell to the photo on his desk again the smile leaving his face. He grabbed the frame and took a closer look at the picture. Despite how much alcohol he had consumed that night he still remembered the citadel party fondly. They had drank, danced, and laughed forgetting all about the weight of the galaxy that rested on their shoulders. Then at the end of the night they all gathered for this picture, a fond memory of what was, before it could all be lost, none of them knowing it would be the last time the whole crew of the Normandy would be together. Kaidan frowned before placing the photo back on his desk, and after a moment of thought he flipped it face down. He stretched one last time before limping towards the couch placed against one of the walls. Carefully he lowered himself before taking a throw pillow and pressing it to his face trying to block out any remaining light as his migraine hit full force.

-Page Break-

Riley was the last one out of the school when the final bell rang. Unlike his fellow class mates he felt no need to rush, it wouldn't make the walk home any shorter. Just as he stepped onto the street he remembered the almost empty fridge back home and frowned. He recalled how adamant his mother had been about him coming straight home but if he didn't buy some food they wouldn't eat tonight. Glancing at his watch he made his decision and jogged down the street towards the grocery store, hoping to finish his shopping before Terra needed to be picked up from after school care.

"Hey Riley!" Someone called, causing him to stop and turn around.

He was surprised to see a pretty girl with auburn hair run up to him. Riley gave a nervous swallow and offered a weak smile.

"Hi." He said shyly.

She gave him a bright smile and stepped closer, causing the boy to flush and take a small step back.

"How are you?" she asked.

"G-good, and you?" he stuttered scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Good. I'm good." She said nodding. "Look I was wondering, if you aren't busy or anything, if you wanted to go to the park with my friends and I."

Riley's eyes darted to the left as he truly contemplated going with his pretty classmate instead of going shopping. He could last one night without dinner, and his mother barely ate anyway, she wouldn't be upset if she missed a meal. It was his thoughts of Terra that firmed his resolve.

"Sorry," he began flinching as the girls smile turned into a frown. "I would but my sister…"

"Oh! She can come too! Terra's adorable and I'm sure she would love the park!" the girl quickly said trying to change his mind.

He almost did too but he knew his mother would be more forgiving of their tardiness if he had stayed back for food instead of hanging around with his class mates.

"I'd like to, I really would, but I can't." He said, summoning his courage. "I need to pick up some groceries before Terra gets out of after care. And then we have to go straight home, mom said." He added quickly when it looked like the girl would speak again.

But at the mention of his mother her mouth snapped closed and her bright smile turned into a slight sneer, it didn't last long, because soon enough another smile was fixed onto her face even though it was significantly less sincere than the one she had before.

"Right," she said quietly. "Sorry to bother you Riley, maybe next time?"

"Yeah next time, definitely." He answered a little too eagerly.

She offered him another small smile before turning away and running back to her friends who had been watching their exchange closely. As soon as she got close enough the group burst into whispers and even though he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying to her he did notice her blush and duck her head while the rest of the group roared with laughter. He clenched his fist and it took all his willpower not to chase after them. He wanted to, more than anything. Riley had always felt like the odd man out. He never had any friends, his mother had moved them around too much for him to make any real connections when he was young and now that she had settled on a permanent residence he was older and had responsibilities. He didn't have time for friends. Not many people knew about Riley's absentee mother but those who did were very open about their disapproval. Riley was always quick to defend her though, the others didn't understand the situation or her, if they knew they wouldn't be so quick to judge or at least that's what he told himself. Still there were times, times like this, where he couldn't help but resent her a little. Quickly he pushed those feelings away before continuing on his way to the grocery store, he had things he had to do and people who were relying on him. Duty first, just like his mother always said.

-Page Break-

"Can I get you anything else?" the young woman asked the older man slouched by the counter.

"Nah thanks darlin' this should suffice." The man said giving her a nod and polite smile.

"Well if you need anything just let me know." She said with a brilliant smile.

The man turned back to his meal poking at his food while his eyes scanned the other patrons making sure none were looking his way. Once he was sure that no one was eavesdropping he spoke, only loud enough for the waitress who was wiping down the counter to hear him.

"This is a nice little town you got here." He commented.

"Oh yeah," she agreed stretching over the counter to get at a rather stubborn stain. "We're one of the few small towns left."

"Are there a lot of families here?" he asked casually.

"Quite a few actually." She continued. "The school here is really good so most small families live around here."

"Any orphans? You know, from the war?" he went on.

"No," she said frowning. "No orphans that I know of."

"Any military families?" he asked.

The woman stopped wiping down the counter and gave the man a wary look. She took a step away from him before dropping her cloth back onto the counter.

"No. Why?" she questioned.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile but her eyes were still narrowed in suspicion. His smile faltered slightly before he reached down the front of his shirt and pulled out his dog tags as if that was explanation enough. The woman's mouth dropped open in slight surprise, her eyes going wide.

"I'm a veteran myself." He explained after a moment. "Just wanted to know if any of my friends made it this far."

"Well unfortunately there aren't any soldiers here." She said softly. "There's an alliance base in the city not too far from here though."

"Thanks for the help sweet heart." He said with a weak smile, while reaching for his credit chit.

"Don't worry about it, it's on the house." She said placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"Well that's very kind of you, thank you very much ma'am." He said quietly.

"No, thank you." She said firmly.

He tipped his head to her before leaving the small diner. Pulling a cigarette from his pocket he began making his way down the street, head low but eyes alert.

"Hurry Terra! Mom's going to be mad!" a young voice called.

The man looked up and saw a young boy no older than fifteen walking briskly down the sidewalk a grocery bag tucked in one arm while he carried two book bags in the other. He had shaggy brown hair and lacked the same prefab polish that most kids seemed to have. He also noticed the young blonde girl following him with two grocery bags in her arms.

"You're going to fast Riley!" She complained, her short strides making it impossible for her to catch up to the older boy.

He watched curiously as the boy stopped in front of one of the fences. Using one arm he threw the book bags over the fence one at a time before peeling back the wire and ducking through making sure to hold it for his younger sister. He gathered the two backpacks before leading the way into the woods that surrounded the town. Making a mental note of what he had witnessed the man continued on his way. Three blocks from the diner the man turned down an alley where three people were waiting for him.

"Finally!" the woman said throwing her hands in the air. "What took you so long?"

"Calm down Erin." The one batarian said, but his six eyes were focused on the other human.

"Calm down? He was gone all afternoon!" She argued. "Did you get the information?"

The man nodded, taking one last drag from his cigarette before dropping it to the ground.

"I got the information all right." He said a cruel smile spreading across his face. "And it looks like we hit the jackpot. Mostly small families and no military vets."

"Good, good." The batarian nodded.

"But I have even better news!" the woman Erin chimed in. "Not only is this a perfect target but there's also an abandoned farm not too far from here. It would be a perfect hide out!"

"Hm." The older man hummed in contemplation. "It might not be as abandoned as you've heard."

"What do you mean Langley?" The batarian asked.

"My information is good old man!" Erin snapped, narrowing her eyes at him.

"And I'm tellin' you you're wrong." Langley said giving the other human a glare. "I saw two kid's slip through the fence headin' into the woods."

The man let the words sink in and the batarian grinned taping his hip where his pistol was holstered.

"I think we found the first of our merchandise."

-Page Break-

"Hey! Put the groceries away BEFORE you go to your room to play!" Riley yelled, as Terra ran ahead when the farm was in sight, clutching the two groceries bags as tight as she could.

He shook his head but could barely contain a smile when she bounded inside and left the front door wide open, some things never changed. Closing the door he made sure to place both of their school bags on the rack where they belonged before making his way into the kitchen. He placed his grocery bag on the counter when he noticed the dishes from breakfast still piled in the sink. A frown formed on his face and his stomach sank.

"Move Riley!" Terra whined, trying to reach his groceries.

He gave a distracted nod before turning away and leaving the kitchen in search of his mother. He checked her room which was predictably empty. Knocking on the bathroom door before pulling it open revealed she wasn't there either. He even checked both his and Terra's room and there was still no sign of her. Grinding his teeth together in frustration he ran out the front door leaving it wide open.

"MOM!" he called as loud as he could, but there was no answer. "MOM!" he tried again, hearing his voice echo through the trees. "Dammit!" he cursed under his breath before rushing back into the house.

"Riley?" Terra asked uncertainly as her brother whisked into the kitchen and grabbed the flashlight.

"It's okay, go play in your room Terra." Riley said trying and failing to keep the desperation out of his voice as he headed back towards the front door.

She stood in the kitchen doorway uncertain, shifting from foot to foot as if she was going to move towards him.

"Where's mommy?" she asked quietly.

"I said go play!" Riley barked, turning on the girl.

She bit her lip and nodded before rushing out of the room barely stifling a sob as she disappeared. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair feeling guilty about his outburst and suddenly the worry and dread he had felt when he had first discovered his mother was missing was replaced by anger. After turning on the flashlight he rushed back out of the house, slamming the door behind him in a fit of pique.

"Mom!" he called again his voice tinged with anger. "Mom I swear…!"

Riley stopped shouting and glanced at the run down barn that housed the generator and water heater. His mother had put a small work table in the corner of the old building where she liked to repair and experiment with the tech she had salvaged. It was the only place he hadn't looked yet, but he was reluctant to do so. His mother didn't have many rules, most of her expectations were unspoken or implied but when they had first moved here she had made a point to forbid him and Terra from the barn. Up until now both of them had adhered to the rule out of respect and a little bit of fear but now there seemed to be no other choice. Taking a deep breath he turned and walked to the barn with determined steps prepared to wrench the doors open. After a moment he reconsidered and instead banged on the door.

"Mom! Mom! Are you in there?" he shouted.

He waited a few minutes before banging on it again. This time he pressed his ear against the aged wood and tried to pick out any noise. That's when he heard the soft clang of metal and a muffled voice.

"Mom?" he called, for the first time feeling uncertain. "Mom are you in there?"

Still she didn't acknowledge him and after a moment he decided to take the risk and pushed the door open a crack before slipping inside. The building was incredibly dark and Riley was glad he had thought to bring a flashlight. The bright beam of light swept over the floor and he was able to make out the humming generator and the large water tank next to it. He heard the mumbling again and squeezed behind the two machines, the flashlight flickering over his mother where she sat hunched over her work table illuminated by the single lamp sitting next to her.

"Mom?" he said again, stepping closer but still cautious.

"Fix…fault…cold." Were the only words he could pick out of her frantic musings.

Any hesitance he still felt flew out the window and he walked close enough so he could peer over her shoulder. Her green eyes darted around wildly and her hands shook as she continued to fiddle with, what looked like a large flashlight. Curiosity got the better of him so he lent a little closer.

"What…?" he started, placing his hand on her shoulder to try and get a better view.

The flashlight dropped from his hand and onto the ground as one of his mother's hands wrapped tightly around his neck the other cocked back in a fist as if she was going to punch him in the face. Her eyes were still glazed and unfocused as if she wasn't really seeing him but instead seeing through him. He grasped at her wrist and tried to wrench her hand free.

"Mom!" he said frightened, the hand was tight but not painful it was merely holding him in place and the other hand was still poised to strike his face.

His voice seemed to snap her out of her confused state and she pulled her hands away from him as if she had been burned.

"Riley!" she breathed, her voice laced with worry.

She reached out as if to touch him and he flinched away instinctively. He saw the brief look of hurt flash over her face before it was replaced by an apologetic frown her hands clasped in her lap.

"I'm so sorry." She said softly.

"What the heck mom!" Riley snapped, rubbing his neck.

"I said I'm sorry." She huffed.

"Sorry!? You just grabbed me by the throat!" Riley shot back.

"Well you surprised me!" she defended. "I warned you not to sneak up on me like that. And what are you doing in the barn?" she said sternly trying to change the topic.

"Surprised you?" Riley asked in disbelief. "I was calling you for over ten minutes! I was worried when I didn't find you! It's almost six o'clock! Terra hasn't eaten yet and…! And…I thought you might have left again." He trailed off softly allowing thick tension to fill the silence.

The woman closed her eyes and pressed one hand to her forehead sighing before fixing Riley with a passive look.

"Alright, that's fair. But Ry you can't just grab me like that." Her voice took on a gentle tone that the boy was unaccustomed to. "When you did that I snapped into overdrive. Its muscle memory, you know, a reflex. But the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you or Terra."

Riley took in her apology and nodded knowing she was truly repentant. This time when she reached for him he didn't pull away.

"So new rule." She said her voice coming out loud and confident despite how her hand shook as she clasped his shoulder. "Don't touch me unless I acknowledge you, that way we can avoid any…situations like this in the future, okay?"

"Okay," Riley agreed feeling his anger recede slightly.

"Good, let's go. It's late and you and Terra need to eat some dinner." She said standing and turning off her lamp.

"Okay." He repeated bending over to pick up the dropped flashlight. "By the way, what were you working on?" He asked, almost as an afterthought.

Hannah Williams stiffened at his question before she snatched the piece of machinery off the table and dropped it into the lockbox underneath her chair.

"Nothing." She said in a tone that left no room for argument. "Let's go."

-Page Break-

Riley startled awake in the middle of the night. He held his breath as he tried to figure out what had woken him in the first place. The room was silent and there was no sign of any sort of danger, it just must have been a bad dream. He glanced at his bedside clock and groaned, it was one in the morning, way too early for him to be awake. He rolled over and tried to fall asleep again, after tossing and turning for another ten minutes he realized that it was futile. Sitting up he decided he was going to get a glass of water and then try again. Moving as quietly as possible he slipped out of his room and made his way into the kitchen. He nearly screamed when he saw the silhouette of someone slumped in the kitchen chair. The person turned quickly when they heard his gasp and he sighed as he recognized the slightly glowing eyes of his mother.

"Mom?" he hissed.

"Riley, what are you doing up?" she asked.

Instead of answering her Riley flicked on the lights before making his way to a cabinet. Usually Hannah would have scolded him for not answering her but instead she let her head drop and resumed staring at the table.

"I was thirsty," Riley explained after a tense silence as he pulled a glass from one of the shelves. "What are you doing awake?"

Hannah slowly looked up, the two glowing red pinpricks in her pupils causing Riley to shudder.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered after a long moment.

Riley downed the glass of water and pulled out the chair opposite his mother instead of returning to his room.

"Do you usually have a hard time sleeping?" he asked.

She nodded once and refused to look at him. Riley reached across the table and offered a hand to her. After a few seconds that felt like forever Hannah placed her own hand in his before giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey," she said after a moment a small smile forming on her face. "Do you want to go practice your aim?"

Riley smiled back at his mother before nodding sliding out from the table and hurrying to his room. Yanking open his drawer he pulled out his pistol before returning to the kitchen where his mother stood, his jacket slung over her arm. After he put his jacket on they both walked out the back door, using the light of the full moon to guide them through the woods. Finally they stopped in a familiar clearing not too far from their house. There were old fashioned paper targets pinned to the trees, most were riddled with bullet holes but there were still some that had managed to remain unscathed.

"Get into position." Hannah ordered.

Riley obeyed standing with his feet shoulder length apart, his right hand wrapped around the grip of the gun while his left held underneath to steady his aim.

"Ready?" She asked.

Riley nodded before raising the pistol to eye level and aiming for one particular target that had been eluding him.

"Fire!" Hannah shouted.

Riley squeezed off three shots in quick succession the recoil barely noticeable. None of the shots hit the target and Riley groaned.

"Too wide." Hannah explained taking the pistol from his hand.

Before he could blink his mother had let out three perfect shots that went right through the center of the target. He frowned and had to resist another groan at his incompetence.

"You're over thinking things." Hannah reassured, handing him back the pistol. "And, I don't know how many times I've already told you this, but you HAVE to follow through. You may have missed the first shot but if you would have followed through the second and third might have made it."

Riley nodded before taking his position again. Taking a deep breath Riley tried again this time one of his shots missed, another caught the edge of the paper and the last made it through one of the outer rings.

"I did it…" he said in disbelief, his arms dropping to his side.

"Pretty good! Pretty good!" Hannah congratulated.

"Pretty good!?" Riley said in disbelief. "I finally got it into the target, that's great!"

"One of the outer rings." She reminded.

"In the dark!" he retorted.

She chuckled at that slinging an arm around his shoulders.

"Okay fair enough," she said.

Riley opened his mouth to speak when a familiar scream ripped through the air. In a second his mother had pulled away from him and turned back towards the house her eyes narrowed and lips pressed tightly together. Another scream and both Riley and Hannah took off running. Hannah gracefully dodged and weaved between the trees while Riley struggled to catch up. When he got close enough Hannah pulled Riley down to crouch with her behind the foliage that separated their 'backyard' from the woods.

"What's going on?" Riley asked out of breath.

"Someone's in our house." Hannah whispered, peeking over the greenery and trying to a get a glimpse through the kitchen window. "I count three, and they already grabbed Terra."

Riley nodded raising his pistol as a sign he was ready to fight, his mother gave him a stern look, before shaking her head.

"No Riley, I'm going in by myself. I need you to stay here." She said.

"No way! I want to help!" Riley said.

"No Riley, they got Terra because I wasn't there to protect her." Hannah mumbled and he noticed her hands clenched tightly. "I won't risk you too. I'll get Terra back I promise."

He was going to argue again but the glare his mother directed towards him convinced him to stay silent. She took another look at the house her eyes sweeping over the scene as if she was committing it to memory. She ducked back down pulling a key on a chain from the front of her shirt. With one hard tug the chain snapped.

"Trade you," she said.

Riley handed the pistol to her before taking the chain from her. He lifted the key to his face to get a better look.

"It's the key to my lock box," she explained. "If something goes wrong get to the barn and open the box. There's an old ear piece and even an omnitool in there. Okay?"

"I don't need it." Riley insisted trying to hand the key back to his mom. "You're going to get Terra back and get rid of the bad guys, so I don't need it."

"Riley," Hannah sighed pushing his hand away. "I need you to be realistic. If I can't get Terra back I need to know that you can get help. Get help from someone who can take care of you if I don't make it."

"I don't need it." He said firmly.

"Than just keep it safe for me okay?" Hannah begged. "Please Riley."

Riley swallowed the lump in his throat before giving a hesitant nod.

"Good boy." She said relieved kissing his forehead. "Wait here, I'll be back soon."

Hannah crept around the bush before running towards the back door and disappearing into the house leaving Riley alone.

-Page Break-

Hannah slipped into the kitchen through the back door that her and Riley had left open and pressed herself against the wall listening for any noise that would tell her where the intruders were.

"God this place is a dump." A feminine voice whined.

"Better then where you used to live." A masculine voice muttered.

"I heard that!" the woman screeched.

From what Hannah could hear the woman was closest to the kitchen while the man was a little further away and to the left. She heard a soft whimper and her grip tightened on the gun in her hand.

"Shut up you two, we don't need the girl screaming anymore." Another deep voice chimed in.

It was obviously a male and definitely alien. If Hannah had to guess it was a batarian.

"Geeze Breda lighten up." The woman said moving right into the kitchen doorway. "The little bitch won't scream again. Not unless she wants to get another fist in her face."

Hannah moved away from the wall and turned towards the door way grabbing the lanky human female from behind in a headlock. The woman was caught off guard before flailing trying to free herself and Hannah slammed the butt of the pistol into her temple knocking the woman unconscious letting her drop to the floor. Both the batarian and other male were frozen in surprise but their immobility didn't last long. The other human dove for Hannah managing to trap her arms at her sides. She kicked frantically, spurred on by the quite sniffles of Terra who sat on the floor with a red and swollen cheek. Finally Hannah flung her head backwards slamming against the human's nose causing him to see stars and loosen his grip on her. She slipped from his arms and grabbed one of them forcing it behind his back. He struggled against her grip and without a second thought Hannah pulled harder before ripping it out of the socket.

The man howled in pain and collapsed to the floor clutching at his useless arm. Hannah turned to the remaining intruder pointing the pistol at his head.

"Back away from Terra or I'll kill you." Hannah said coldly, when he didn't move she shot the floor centimeters away from his foot. "That was your one and only warning shot. If I have to shoot again the bullets going in your brain." She threatened.

"You won't get the chance to shoot again." The batarian said smugly.

"Oh really?" Hannah questioned, her eyes narrowed in a glare.

But before she could shoot or hear his retort she felt the air leave her lungs as she was slammed against the ground the pistol flying from her hands and an unbearable weight pressing into her back. All she felt was white hot pain race through her body and she surmised that from the impact alone she had broken a few ribs.

"K-krogan?" she wheezed, feeling the weight on her back intensify.

A raspy laugh was her answer and the batarian grabbed the pistol that had skittered across the floor.

"Good guess." He said, before aiming the pistol at Hannah.

-Page Break-

Riley remained crouched behind the bush. He hadn't heard any gun shots and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Finally he heard a howl of pain but it was unfamiliar and too deep to be his mother or Terra. He grinned, relief washing over him that quickly disappeared when he heard a gunshot. He popped his head over the bush to try and get a glimpse of the situation and felt his heart stop when he saw a large hunched shadow heading into the house through the open back door.

There weren't three intruders, there were four and he was pretty sure that last one was a krogan.

Stuffing his mother's key into his jacket pocket he raced towards the house remaining crouched and pressing himself against the outside of the wall under the window. Slowly he crept along the wall until he could peek inside the house. He saw the krogan lift an unfamiliar woman off the floor while a man leaned against the wall blood dripping from his nose and his right arm hanging limply at his side. That's when he saw his mother sprawled across the floor, her face flushed in pain. A batarian stood over her, Riley's pistol aimed at her head, before he drew his leg back and kicked her in the stomach. She bit her lip but couldn't stop a grunt from escaping her. The batarian laughed before kicking her again, her teeth tore into her bottom lip as she tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle another cry of pain.

"What do you want?" she panted, blood dripping from her mouth.

"What do you think we want?" the batarian sneered. "I'm a business man, I work with supply and demand. Right now there is a demand for young healthy slaves and I'm here to get supplies." He said gesturing to the six year old girl who was crying silently on the floor.

Riley grit his teeth to stop himself from rushing in. He had no weapon and he was severely outnumbered he would be dead before he even reached his sister.

"N-no!" Hannah groaned. "D-don't take Terra."

"Unless you have a counter offer," the batarian joked. "I think I'll keep her."

"T-take me instead." Hannah offered while trying to sit up.

The batarian scoffed before pressing his boot in Hannah's chest making her fall back onto the floor before pressing harder and causing her to cry out in pain.

"Why would I do that?" he said disgusted. "You're wounded and ugly, even by human standards. Plus you're too old to be a good slave."

"I'm more valu-valuable." She choked out, gasping for breath.

"How are you more valuable?" he asked in disbelief.

"I-I'm Commander Shepherd."

**A/N: Please review and thank you for reading!**


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